These Stairs of Coincidences

1988-1990

Until now, all of Ravishri's activities were limited to the districts of Tikamgarh and Jhansi. By the beginning of 1988, Yara was your center.

On February 9, 1988, you attended the wedding procession of Rahis Singh Yadav in Yara, which went to Kailapura village near Achhru Mata. About a month after this, you left Yara. Before leaving, you took Kailash Yadav's bicycle here. From here, you went to Arjun Yadav's village Jyor, about ten kilometers away, on that bicycle, instructing him to return the bicycle to Yara. Then, you left for Jhansi by bus.

This incident was once narrated by Ravishri himself at his place. According to one of those devotees, while reaching Jhansi, you changed buses twice, whereas this distance was at most forty-five kilometers. The reason for changing buses was that you did not have the fare. You would tell the conductor to 'take it later', but when he didn't recognize you, how could he take it later? So, he would stop the bus and drop you off. You would get off and wait for another bus. In this way, changing buses, Ravishri reached Jhansi. At the Jhansi bus stand itself, you got information that there was an exhibition in the city with various shops and swings etc. For the साधु पुरुष (saintly person) of the previous birth, taking stock of social situations was the special purpose at this time, and to fulfill this purpose, you went to see the exhibition. It became night for Ravishri while watching the exhibition. Not finding any place to stay, you returned to the bus stand and started befriending a driver. But the driver had no reason to befriend you, so he ignored you and moved on. The bus seemed like a good धर्मशाला (rest house) to Ravishri for spending the night, and the drivers were not allowing you to even touch it. You did not want to perform any miracles. Finally, you offered a bus cleaner to wash the bus and asked for permission to sleep in the bus in return. If he didn't clean the bus, the cleaner would clean it anyway; his labor would also be saved, and the bus would also be cleaned. The boy was not asking for money; the cleaner agreed. He gave Ravishri a bucket and a cloth. A cleaner in a bus is a creature who is the most दीन-हीन (humble) and like the wife of the poorest man in the village, who gets paid only for listening and constantly appearing busy working. Even the conductor's brother-in-law can blow away his job like a straw. Such a person got a servant, 'Ravishri, as simple as he was', free of charge for just twelve hours. With a bidi in hand and a glass of tea, gutka in his mouth, sitting on a stone, the cleaner made Ravishri clean the vehicle as if it wouldn't need cleaning for a year or two after this cleaning. He presented Ravishri with the खिचड़ी (mixture) of all the scoldings he had received so far and then, after instructing him to wipe the seats again in the morning, gave Ravishri permission to sleep in the bus.

This incident is from March 1988. Here in Jhansi, Ravishri's brother-in-law's younger brother, Dinesh, lived in a rented room. As soon as it was morning, Ravishri went to him and went to Simthari with him, which was your sister's in-laws' place.

After staying in Simthari for about fifteen days, when Ravishri asked for permission to leave, Ravishri's brother-in-law's elder brother, Rajkumar, asked him to come to Senvdha with them.

Now, before moving forward, understand some relationships well because these relationships are the stairs on which Ravishri climbed to reach Rawatpura.

Ravishri's sister has three sisters-in-law: Sushila, Gayatri, and Shobha. Among them, Gayatri was married to Akhilesh Sharma, son of Shri Baijnath Sharma of Senvdha. This relationship was the medium for Ravishri to reach Senvdha. Whenever his brother-in-law's elder brother went to Senvdha from Simthari, Ravishri would also go with him up to Senvdha.

Sadhana, daughter of Akhilesh Sharma of Senvdha, was married to Shrikant Shukla, a resident of Lahar. This was the ladder on which Ravishri climbed to come from Senvdha to Lahar.

Late Shri Chandra Prakash Sharma, elder brother of late Shri Akhilesh Sharma, was residing in Dabra at this time (1988-1990), and you also met Ravishri in Senvdha. During these two years, Chandra Prakashji also remained quite connected to Ravishri.

When Ravishri came to Senvdha for the first time in April 1988, you met the family of Chandra Prakash Sharma here. Chandra Prakashji was working as an Assistant Police Prosecutor in Datia. His younger son, Virendra Sharma, became quite close to Ravishri. After all, who doesn't like a miraculous relative? Everyone welcomed Ravishri warmly, and in this first meeting itself, everyone became convinced of his extraordinary talent.

After this, 'Ravishri' returned to Simthari with Rajkumar. In July-August 1988, you went to Chitrakoot. Upon reaching Chitrakoot, you stayed at the place of a poor woman named Shabari and sat on the path of Kamadgiri Parikrama (circumambulation), miraculously meeting all the devotees. It was during this time that you met Siyaram Shastri of Rawatpura. Siyaram Shastri narrates that he was sitting on a cloth spread on the path of Kamadgiri, and a crowd was gathered around him. He was wearing only a loincloth, and on one side was a pile of laddoos and pedas (sweets), and on the other side were rupees and paise (money) offered by devotees. Ravishri would give prasad etc. to the devotees passing by, due to which the devotees would stop there and stare at this small saint with astonished eyes.

In October 1988, Ravishri again went to Simthari, and after staying there for a few days, when Rajkumarji made a program to go to Senvdha, he again came to Senvdha with him.

Chandraprakashji Sharma had come to Senvdha with his family. After celebrating Diwali with you in Senvdha, Ravishri came to Dabra at the insistence of Chandraprakashji. By this time, Chandraprakashji had become well aware of his abilities, and Ravishriji also became famous in Dabra. Virendra Sharma narrates that Ravishri had no equal in relieving people from evil spirits. Problems that people had been facing for many years and that could not be solved by even the greatest tantriks, Ravishri solved them in a snap. Chandraprakashji Sharma is no more; he passed away on June 30, 1990. His son Virendra says, "As Ravishri used to say that he had the grace of a सिद्ध आत्मा (accomplished soul), it seemed untrue because he was capable of any miracle at any time, but on the other hand, he used to do very little worship and was also young in age, so it seemed that perhaps he was telling the truth."

There was no shortage of people who underestimated Ravishri considering his age. Before reaching Rawatpura, he did not want to reveal his reality to anyone. His actions give the feeling that he wanted "his arrival in Rawatpura to be natural, no one should understand that Rawatpura was his destination, and for this, he needed stairs. You had reached the first step, Simthari, and the second step, Senvdha. Now, let's see how you placed your feet on the आगे की सीढ़ियों (next steps). Regarding what has been said so far, I would definitely like to tell you that to bring naturalness, Ravishri made the distance between each step feel like a chance meeting or a coincidental event, but from one perspective, every coincidence was a part of nature's well-thought-out plan. And the completion of this plan was at the successful conclusion of Ravishri's first yagya at the Rawatpura temple, which was to be held in April 1991.

Ravishri's coming and going between Senvdha and Dabra started. Chandraprakash used to come to Senvdha every month anyway, after all, it was his home, and even if he didn't come, some member of his family would keep visiting, and Ravishri would also keep roaming around.

In Senvdha, you met Shrikant Shukla, the son-in-law of Akhilesh Sharma. Shrikant was a resident of Lahar. Shrikant was married to Sadhana, the daughter of Akhilesh Sharma, brother of Chandraprakashji Sharma, in Senvdha. 35-year-old Shrikant Shukla is inquisitive by nature, and he has a special inclination towards sadhus and saints. He narrates, "I was going to Gwalior to solve a tax-related problem with my truck. I was very worried because of it, and the problem was not getting resolved. While going from Lahar to Gwalior, Senvdha falls in between, and 'my in-laws' place is also in Senvdha,' thinking this, I made a plan to stay overnight in Senvdha and leave from there for Gwalior in the morning. Upon reaching Senvdha, I was introduced to Ravishri at my in-laws' place, and when his shocking supernatural feats were narrated, I did not believe them. After the introduction in the first meeting, I stayed overnight, and as soon as I was about to leave for Gwalior in the morning, Ravishri said to me, 'You are very worried about your problem. This time you have the blessings of a saint; all your problems will be solved.' In his introduction, it was mentioned that he was a resident of Chhipri, and a siddha from there had his blessings."

Shrikant narrates, "Upon going to Gwalior, my problem was miraculously completely solved. I felt as if that problem was waiting for my arrival, whereas I had not even one percent hope of it. The previous night, I had not even paid attention to what Ravishri had said, and even in the morning, his blessings had no effect on me; I considered him just a child. But while returning from Gwalior, I kept thinking about Ravishri and came to Senvdha."

And this time, Shrikant became engrossed in deepening his relationship with Ravishri. He had become aware of Ravishri's abilities and now wanted Ravishri to go to Lahar with him. 'Shrikant's thinking, deepening the relationship, urging him to go to Lahar'—all these seem to be actions taking place under nature's plan.

In December 1988, Ravishri, at the special request of Shrikant Shukla, agreed to go to Lahar. Rawatpura was only seventeen kilometers away from Lahar, but Ravishri showed no interest in that direction at this time. After visiting the temples etc. in Lahar and meeting all the family members, he returned to Senvdha. Shrikant Shukla says that during this time, he became convinced of Ravishri's amazing ability to foresee the future. Besides this, he kept showing other small miracles. All the members of his household in Lahar soon became close to Ravishri. In this very first meeting, Ravishri had impressed people with his talent.

Now, let's step into 1989. On the way from Senvdha to Dabra falls Indergarh tehsil of Datia district itself. Ravishri had become well acquainted with this route in this birth while coming and going, and perhaps he was also looking for a place that he could make his intermediate stop. Ravishri chose Indergarh for this stop.

How and why Ravishri stopped in Indergarh is a medium I have not yet found. However, in February 1989, you reached the Indergarh police station and not only mingled with all the staff there but also made them your well-wishers with your simplicity and abilities. The police station staff was so impressed with you that arrangements for your food, drink, and stay were made inside the police station itself.

At this time, Avneesh Sharma, posted here as a constable, had been married for three years but was deprived of the happiness of having children. Ravishri blessed him that he would become a father within the next 9 months. A constable, Aberan Singh Yadav, who had three daughters but desired a son, received the blessing that this time he would have a son. All the policemen were eager to see your small miracles and remained engaged in flattering you. The discussion of his saintly nature and miraculous abilities in his childhood also started spreading to the local residents of Indergarh. But since you were staying at the police station, you were out of reach of ordinary people. You stayed put at the police station for two months here, but even after stopping here, you did not become just of Indergarh. Wherever Ravishri stayed for more than two days, it was certain that the third day would be spent in a new place with new people. You would make a center and, making that center your permanent residence, would roam around it. After becoming acquainted in the areas of Datia, Dabra, Senvdha, and Lahar, you chose Indergarh as your center. For the initial two months, i.e., from February 1989 to March 1989, you spent most of your time at the Indergarh police station, occasionally going to Dabra or Senvdha and then returning. Then, gradually, you also started going to the surrounding villages.

Since Ravishri left Yara in March 1988, he did not turn towards that side until April 1989. Initially, there was a month-long wait at home, but after that, when the search began, it was assumed that he would be in Yara. However, when he was not found in Yara either, the family became worried.

According to your uncle Laxminarayanji, "In this one year, we were troubled searching for him. We got mention of Simthari, but after coming to Senvdha from Simthari, where you went, we did not know. In the meantime, we heard that a dead body of a person whose appearance and clothing were described as Ravishri's was found at the 'Note-Ghat - Pul' (bridge) on the Betwa River in Jhansi. My elder brother Kripa Ram and I reached there to see the dead body, but by then the body had been buried. Only his clothes were found, which were just kurta and pajamas. After seeing those clothes and hearing the description of the dead body, my brother and I did not say anything to each other... but in our hearts, we had become convinced that 'our Ravi... is no more'.....!!!"

"Even after returning home," Laxminarayan says, "we did not mention anything, nor did we tell anyone at home that we were going to see the dead body. But this thought had settled in my mind and Ravishri's father's mind that Ravishri was no longer in this world."

Recalling this period, Ravishri's mother says that it was natural to worry about him not coming home. I would go to the temple and make vows for him, perform various rituals for his long life, but whenever I went to the temple, he would come to me in a dream at night and say, "Amma, don't worry; I am fine." In the morning, we would tell his father about the dream, but he would dismiss it, saying, 'A mother's heart will see dreams.' Sometimes he would jokingly say, 'If he comes in a dream, why don't you ask him where he is and when he will come?'

Father Kripa Ramji says, "It was true that I used to be extremely worried because of him. When he was here, I absolutely could not tolerate his miraculous life, but his disappearance, then his mother's sad face, and after all, he was my son! I also felt like 'someone should tell me where he is?' But for a year, there was no news." - Readers, in many events ahead, there is a clear feeling of the intervention of an unseen power, that is, such coincidences that are certainly not coincidences but seem to be part of nature's plan. The meaning of the symbol चिन्ह - is that you should also contemplate the event from this perspective.

The Chaitra Nav Durga (nine auspicious nights) was about to begin when Ravishri told his devotees in Indergarh, "I will return soon; it is necessary to go home now," and came to his home Chhipri.

In Chhipri, you had barely gathered the love filled with anger of your mother and father for four-five days when Shrikant Shukla arrived on a motorcycle from Lahar to take Ravishri.

Shrikant stayed in Chhipri for a day or two, after which Ravishri and Shrikant came to Lahar from Chhipri on the motorcycle itself.

This was not just a formality of Ravishri's return home; rather, it feels as if nature and that unseen power had also fixed the time that Ravishri now had to take one more step towards his destination, to climb one more step on the ladder that goes to Rawatpura. That is why Shrikant, who had come from Lahar, came directly to Chhipri. Neither did he search for Ravishri in Indergarh nor anywhere else. On the other hand, Ravishri also chose this very time after a year to come to Chhipri (return home).

Shrikant felt that his meeting with Ravishri in Chhipri was a coincidence, but he was acting according to a character in a pre-written story of nature. This motorcycle journey started from Chhipri's morning of April 12, 1989, and ended in Lahar, encompassing the afternoon and more than half of Tipahariya.

Bijora village is only one kilometer away from the Rawatpura temple. Shyam Tripathi, a resident of Bijora village, who is about forty years old at this time, is counted among the respected people of Bijora and Lahar area. Your house in Lahar is near Shrikant Shukla's house, and Shuklaji is your family friend and well-wisher.

When Shrikant Shukla reached his home in Lahar with Ravishri, Shyam Tripathi was sitting at Shuklaji's house itself.

As soon as Ravishri arrived, there was a shout, "Maharaj has come, Maharaj has come!" All the family members and children surrounded him, and Ravishri was introduced to all the people sitting there.

At this time, Ravishri looked only 15-16 years old, and a faint line of beard and mustache had emerged. He was wearing a kurta, pajamas, and plastic shoes. When everyone was told that 'he is a saint from Chhipri', the mentality of other visitors was that 'since he is a relative of Shuklaji, he is being introduced with exaggeration.'

Only ten minutes had passed since Ravishri's arrival when his gaze suddenly fell on Shyam Tripathi, who was thinking to himself, 'Who all does Shuklaji bring?' Ravishri said, 'You are a resident of Bijora; you have built a house here too. There are many herbs and medicinal plants in your house.'

Shyam Tripathi was speechless. He had never even seen Ravishri in Lahar. He had come from Chhipri and told him everything about himself. Before he could think or say anything more, Ravishri, presenting a sample of his fakir-like and carefree nature, said to Shyam Tripathi, 'Come, let's go to your house; we will stay there today.' And ten minutes after reaching Lahar, Ravishri was at Shyam Tripathi's house.

Shyam Tripathi says, 'I was not only astonished at how he knew all this about me, but his authoritative manner of coming to my house and my complete acceptance of that manner was also surprising to me.' Upon arriving at Shyam Tripathi's house, Ravishri expressed a desire to bathe and drew water himself from the well and finished his bathing etc.

At night, when Shyam Tripathi sat down with Ravishri for a discussion, Ravishri amazed him by telling him every direct and indirect problem he had and its solution. Saying, 'We will discuss later,' he went to sleep. Shyam Tripathi kept diving in the ocean of astonishment in the morning and remained in the same dilemma all night about where such great powers had come from in this boy.

Then you thought, 'Many saints tell about the past, present, and future. What other abilities does he have? This examination will be taken tomorrow,' and deciding this, he also went to sleep.

The next morning, after bathing etc., Ravishri performed his daily prayers, lit incense sticks. Around eleven o'clock, Shyam Tripathi sat down with Ravishri with the aim of testing him. Ravishri looked at Shyam Tripathi and said, 'Ask what you want to know?'

Shyam Tripathi said, "Maharaj, please tell me what is happening at my house in Bijora right now, and who all are there?"

Ravishri immediately closed his eyes and started describing the scene in Bijora, which was twenty kilometers away from there, as if he were seeing it with his own eyes.

"Your house is at such and such place, three water-filled pots are kept one on top of the other in the courtyard, the third pot is broken, there is a table in the inner room," and so on. Along with this, he also said, "Only your elder brother is at home; the children have gone to play." Shyam Tripathi was surprised, but he was hesitant to say, "Let's go to Bijora and verify if your words were true." Ravishri, after describing the scene as if he had seen it, also said, "Ask him; your brother will tell you that an old man had come to the house at this time."

Finally, when Ravishri rested there for another day and asked for permission to leave the next day, Shyam Tripathi said, "Maharaj, first let's go to Bijora and see if what you said was true." Ravishri agreed and postponed his departure. When Shyam Tripathi reached Bijora with Ravishri and verified the scene he had described, seeing every single detail to be correct, he fell straight at Ravishri's feet and started apologizing for testing him.

When Ravishri was sitting in Lahar and describing the scene of Bijora as if he were seeing it, his elder brother Narendra Kumar Tripathi was at their residence in Bijora, for whom Ravishri had said, "Ask him; an old man would have come."

Narendra Tripathi narrates, "There is a shadow of a siddha saint in my house who is only occasionally visible to the family members. That day, that old man came and stood at my door, peeking inside. As soon as my gaze fell on him, the thought immediately came to my mind that this was that very siddha soul." Narendra Tripathi further narrates, "That person asked about my children, asked about my wife, and I, as if bound by hypnosis, just kept answering. There was a divine radiance on the face of that old man. When that person left, it occurred to me that I had not asked anything, but in my mind, I thought that this was the siddha soul residing here. The next day, when Shyam brought Ravishri and asked about that person, it was then that I came to know that it was someone else."

In this way, in April 1989, in Bijora village, situated just one mile from the Rawatpura temple, Ravishri sat in Shyam Tripathi's house, drank tea, had breakfast, blessed everyone, and returned to Lahar. After having food etc. there, he boarded a bus and returned to Indergarh, which was his focal point during this period.

In May 1989, Ravishri again started staying at the Indergarh police station, but the style was somewhat different. As soon as he arrived, he said, "Now is the time for devotion; get some 'kandiyan' (cow dung cakes, also called 'uple') for me." By this time, as a result of Ravishri's blessings, many women who could not conceive had become pregnant, and water had appeared in the wells he had indicated. Consequently, the number of devotees had increased due to these discussions. Many people helped in gathering the cow dung cakes. Then, Ravishri's seat would be in the middle, and fires of cow dung cakes would be burning all around, with the May sun above and gusts of hot wind. Although Ravishri had completed 21 years of age at this time, he looked only fifteen or sixteen years old, and seeing this style of devotion at this age, people's heads would naturally bow in reverence.

Until the fire subsided, Ravishri would remain absorbed in meditation while sitting on his seat. The police station would be crowded with onlookers. People could not stay for long in the scorching afternoon, but in a short while, they would be so influenced that by evening, Ravishri would not get even a minute of respite from these people.

Avneesh Sharma narrates, "During this time, Ravishri would eat only once a day, and it was also a rule that he would eat only as much as was served at once and would not take anything again. From here, he would often write letters to his home in Chhipri and to his devotees, in which he would inform his family about his well-being and inspire the devotees to devotion to God while blessing them."

When asked why he had left home, he would say, "My family insists on me studying, but I don't want to study." Everyone at the police station used to call Ravishri 'Ravi Maharaj', and everyone took special care that he should not face any trouble.

Rajesh Dantre, a High Court advocate from Indergarh and one of the prominent individuals here, narrates that his first meeting with Ravishri at the Indergarh police station took place in August 1989. He went to the police station in connection with a case. There, Ravishri was sitting with the station in-charge. He got busy with his conversation when Ravishri suddenly spoke, "Why Rajesh, have you left your job and come?" Dantre Sahib says, "Very few people in Indergarh know me by this name. So, hearing this name from the mouth of a stranger boy, I was startled." Then Ravishri further said, "In the future, you will have to bear the responsibility of this Indergarh." Anyway, after the introduction, Dantre Sahib was extremely impressed with Ravishri and took him home, keeping him with him for about a month. During this time, Ravishri would go to the villages, roam in the forest, and sit at the police station.

Rajesh Dantre narrates, "Here, Ravishri had helped the police a lot in many cases. When people came to report a theft in the nearby village Pachokhara, Ravishri happened to be present there. When the station in-charge asked Ravishri about the theft, he not only told about the thief but also the stolen goods, which were hidden in the hay. Similarly, once Ravishri told the police inspector that some thieves from Gwalior had come to his area today; if he went to the Gwalior road at night, he would catch the thieves with the goods. At that time, theft of electric wires was very common. When Sub-Inspector K. S. Dande went according to his instructions, the thieves were caught red-handed while keeping wires in an Ambassador car."

During this time, Ravishri would also say, "I don't have any powers; the siddhas come and tell me, so I will be able to tell you the truth in the morning. And if they are happy and I am not too tired, they tell me everything immediately."

All the devotees of Ravishri who are residents of Indergarh say that Ravishri did perform miracles here in Indergarh, but no one could believe that a grand saint's personality was hidden within him. People believed that yes, the child had some power, and that power came only occasionally, and this was the pretense he also maintained.

Dhanak Singh Dhakar, a constable posted at the Indergarh police station at this time, says, "We used to tease him like friends. He would hold his head cap in his hand and say, 'Say, Victory to Siddha Baba,' and as soon as he said this, the cap would be filled with dates, cloves, or laddoos."

During this time, a sadhu often started troubling Ravishri. He was not only jealous of his powers but also wanted to take undue advantage of them.

This sadhu named Bali Baba was a sadhu in name only. Most people were afraid of him. As much as Ravishri wanted to stay away from this sadhu, he would follow him all the more, but then seeing him with the police, he started staying away from him.

By this time, there was so much difference in Ravishri's attire that he would sometimes wear a yellow dhoti folded like a tehmat (loincloth), and sometimes tie a yellow towel on his head like a safa (turban). If anyone offered food at home, he would readily accept. It was not necessary to have a good bed to sleep after eating.

From here, Ravishri would often go to Dabra and Senvdha as well. The personnel at the police station would put him on the bus. Strict instructions were given to the conductor, "Whenever he wants to return, bring him back with respect." Once, Ravishri was chatting with everyone sitting at the police station when Narayan Singh Kushwaha, the in-charge of Chowki Dhirpura, which falls on the Datia-Indergarh road near Datia (about fifteen kilometers away), came. His post fell under this police station. Narayan Singh Kushwaha, despite being in the police, was a very sattvic (pure) natured person. He was always at the forefront of religious activities and had special reverence for sadhus and saints. He was introduced to Ravishri through the police station staff. Ravishri would casually perform a miracle or two. When Narayan Singh requested him to come to Dhirpura, Ravishri gave a satisfactory reply of 'I will come sometime later,' and Kushwaha ji returned to Dhirpura.

Ravishri had been living in Indergarh for about a year. By this time, the police administration, the municipal administration, and all the prominent people of Indergarh had become connected to him. He would occasionally go to people's places to conduct havan etc. At night in the police station too, he would sometimes perform rituals and havan etc. and inspire people to connect with religion. During this time, Ravishri once thought of going to Dabra. It had been a long time since he had met Chandraprakash ji. As soon as Ravishri expressed his wish to Avneesh Sharma, an oncoming bus was immediately stopped for him.

Even today, there is no shortage of people who, upon seeing wandering abandoned children, catch them and take them along to make them do unpaid labor for life. A servant becomes available for just the cost of food, drink, and old clothes. The bus that Ravishri boarded happened to have some high-class farmers of this kind also traveling in it. As soon as Ravishri sensed their intention from their conversation, he got off after an hour when the bus stopped at a place, with the aim of getting rid of them. The name of the village 'where Ravishri coincidentally got off', which fell just fifteen kilometers east of Datia, was 'Dhirpura'.